Elder Lukas Taylor: Puerto Cabezas! Au! Au! Au!

Well, I made it to Puerto Cabezas! I have been here since Thursday night!

Last Tuesday we went as a zone in Managua to an Active Volcano called Volcano Masaya. It was pretty cool. And we got to eat some good food! Then that next day, we had to take the 17 hour bus ride back to Puerto Cabezas. It wasn't too bad, we stopped every once in a while to eat and what not. Part of it was that we had to cross a river on a ferry to get here. We got to the ferry at 9pm. Oh and we left at 5am. We crossed and we got to Puerto at 11pm. It was good times. The roads on the way here aren't paved so they were straight dirt roads for like 12 hours. Only when we left the main cities where there paved roads.

Our house is nice, it is one of the few cement houses in the city. All of the people here have wood houses that are on stilts. I'll send pics next week of what they look like. But they are cool, some are taller than others and so you can walk under them sometimes. And all of the people here are really dark skinned. I look like chalk here, but when I get home I will look super dark!

Where I eat lunch they have a pet monkey. His name is Chewy. He is a spider monkey. He is crazy. But he is fun. We have eaten a lot of coconut and some fish so far, along with the rice and beans.

We have to learn a language called Miskito here. It is nothing like Spanish. But does have some words that are close to English. I have learned a few words and phrases. But I'm not even close to having a conversation yet. The good thing is that MOST people speak Spanish as well. But the like to speak Miskito more. I will share some words and phrases so you can see how it is.

Yes-au (like you hurt yourself)

No- Apia

good- pain (pine)

bad- saura

Thank you- Tinki Pali

How are you- Naki Sma

Hello- Naksa

goodbye- Aitsa bit

Shut the door please- Du Pali Door Prax

Please- Du Pali

Cow- Bib

Horse- Aras

They use a lot of the "K" which they don't use a lot of in Spanish. I went to a Miskito Ward yesterday and it was weird. They do the sacrament in Spanish but the rest is in Miskito. It's fun. Spanish feels like English after hearing so much Miskito in a row. Maybe I'll be tri-lingual when I finish the mission.

Yesterday we had a baptism of a Girl named Maria. She is a 16 year old and she has a 1 year old kid named Yader. She is cool. I will send pics next week. (I forgot my camera). She really wanted to be baptized and we could help her with that. Her mom died on Jan 2 and now she is an orphan, but she made the promise to her mom that she would get baptized. And she did.

This area is pretty cool. A bit poorer than my other areas, but it is fun. I still play soccer here, and I got to see the Atlantic Ocean today. So all is well. Ill keep up updated more next week!

- Elder Taylor